Following the attempt by some governments of the world to modify the three International Drug Control Conventions: -the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 as amended by the 1972 Protocol; -the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971 (effective measures against abuse of substances); -the United Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988 (eradication of illicit traffic); to make the legalization of cannabis no longer illegal and thus opening the door to a massive production satisfying some vested interests, in disregard of the well-being of the youth and the population, there was in December 2018, at the U.N.Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC-Vienna), during the reconvened 61st Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) Session a clearcut decision taken by the majority of the States Representatives to not modify these International...

In December, the Say No To Drugs Team Belgium (SNTD.Be) wanted to make the Christmas time a real time for Harmony and Happiness in families, away of the drugs. So they set up their drug prevention booth on the Christmas market of Zemst. In this Municipality of the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant, despite a rainy weather the SNTD team was contacted by many persons, including many mothers worrying about the propagation of the drugs in the country and affecting boys and girls. They were also visited by teachers and even a politician, very concerned by the drug problem and sad about the lack of political decision to confront the problem. A lady was very happy to find out about the education prevention materials available for free at the booth. She told that she...

USA – Public Health’s Biggest Victories Over Big Pot in 2018 Article published by Drug Free Australia (December 2018) Public health and safety advocates, including Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action) and its state affiliates, are celebrating a year of victories against the growing marijuana industry as multiple marijuana legalization bills failed from coast-to-coast. (1) NORTH DAKOTA GAVE THE INDUSTRY THE BOOT – RESOUNDINGLY Healthy and Productive North Dakota, SAM Action’s affiliate in the Peace Garden State, and other supporters, worked hard and defeated Measure 3 by the second highest margin in the recent history of such ballot measures. This proposition would have created one of the worst recreational marijuana laws in the country. The truly grassroots, volunteer coalition there stopped Big Marijuana from taking root. (2) GARDEN STATE POT WOES: « FIRST 100...

While the Federal Council has completed last month a very specific consultation (Consultation on the draft amendment of the Narcotics Act and Ordinance on pilot tests within the meaning of the Narcotics Act), the association Say No to Drugs Geneva has decided to give its opinion on the ground with a distribution of drug booklets that took place from Geneva to Montreux, in shops and letter boxes. The policy of the four pillars of the Federal Narcotics Law (LStup, Article 1a) is clear. The first pillar is prevention, which clearly involves information and education. Unfortunately, it must be noted, without minimizing what is already being done, that prevention is being done too timidly. For Say No to Drugs, prevention means acting before problems occur by answering this question: how is physical and mental health...